Recap
Then, a memory surfaced. The isolated tombstone, the elder’s words: “She was a ‘whale whisperer.’”
Shen Xing.
The forgotten woman, her life shrouded in mystery. A wave of unease washed over him, the feeling of stumbling upon a secret too profound to comprehend.
A sharp clang echoed behind him. The robot had breached the hidden door.
Beyond lay another corridor, identical to the previous one. They decided to proceed cautiously, their exploration limited by the ongoing frenzy.
They descended further, reaching a depth of a hundred meters. The corridor continued, then opened into a small chamber containing a freight elevator. Its holographic interface was damaged, but a screen and physical buttons remained operational, the only option: descend.
“This must be thousands of years old,” Yang Zhiming marveled, pressing a button.
To their surprise, the screen flickered to life, a gruff voice, likely a dwarf’s, blaring from its speakers. The terminal translated: Hurry up and scan your cargo! There’s work to be done!
The screen displayed a prompt: Enter mineral information here.
“Amazing that it still functions,” Yang Zhiming said, examining the controls. “There’s a scanning process, but the equipment is likely damaged. And we have no minerals to input.” He tried to bypass the security measure, but it wouldn’t budge.
“Can you fix it?” Shen Chaomu asked.
“I don’t understand their systems,” Yang Zhiming admitted. “Maybe with a full scan, but we don’t have the equipment. We’ll have to try a more traditional method. Brother Shen, what do you do when your computer malfunctions and you can’t find a technician?”
“My computer never malfunctions.”
“Okay.” Yang Zhiming turned to Long Shiyu. “Sister-in-law, what would you do?”
“I don’t have a computer,” Long Shiyu replied.
“I’ll buy you one later,” Shen Chaomu promised, ruffling his hair.
Long Shiyu beamed.
Yang Zhiming rolled his eyes. “What I meant was,” he said, “sometimes you just have to hit it, or kick it. Maybe a miracle will occur.”
He aimed a gentle kick at the screen. Nothing. He kicked it harder. The screen flashed red. Warning! Violent behavior detected!
A high-pressure water jet erupted, blasting Yang Zhiming backward. Shen Chaomu caught him with his spiritual power just as a clattering echoed from the corridor. Several spider-like robots, their legs whirring, emerged, their heads equipped with lasers and flamethrowers.
Golden light flakes sliced through the robots, revealing their intricate inner workings. Sparks flickered, their energy reserves low after years of inactivity.
A voice blared from the elevator: &cjns22fn- nane//
The doors slid open.
Everyone: “…”
Yang Zhiming was also silent for a few seconds: “Anyway, it’s fine if it works.”
The elevator, likely designed for cargo transport, was surprisingly spacious. Shen Chaomu sent a small robot inside, selecting the nearest floor. The doors closed, and the robot’s data indicated a rapid descent.
Fifty meters, one hundred, two hundred, five hundred…
It stopped at a depth of five hundred and thirty-one meters. Shen Chaomu recalled the robot, then pressed the button for the top floor. The elevator functioned perfectly.
“Shi Yu and I will go down,” he announced. “Stay here.”
“I want to come too!” Yang Zhiming protested. “I have to witness this marvel of engineering.”
“The situation below is unknown,” Shen Chaomu said firmly. “Wait here.”
“Remember that program you asked about, the one that blocks those romance novels?” Yang Zhiming persisted. “I’ll send it to you when we get back.”
“And I’ve always thought you two were a perfect match,” he added, looking pointedly at Long Shiyu.
Shen Chaomu sighed. “Fine, come with us.”
Long Shiyu blinked, confused but agreeable.
The three of them entered the elevator. It descended smoothly, the dwarves’ advanced technology masking any mechanical noise. A depth gauge and a small map displayed their progress. The numbers climbed steadily, reaching a dizzying depth. A small window offered a glimpse of the darkness outside, punctuated by the occasional metal support beam.
Three minutes later, the doors opened onto another long, black corridor. As Long Shiyu stepped out, the floor beneath him lit up, followed by the walls, a soft white light spreading rhythmically. The gruff voice of a dwarf echoed through the passage: Faster, faster! A day without blacksmithing and sweat is incomplete!
They followed the corridor, turning several corners, until they reached a vast chamber. A network of black conveyor belts filled the space, laden with gleaming metal. Heat dissipation pipes snaked overhead, and massive robotic arms intertwined. Gears of all sizes interlocked, the largest, a silver behemoth embedded in the wall, towering over them.
Metal walkways crisscrossed the space, creating a dizzying maze. Below, more conveyor belts snaked toward bottomless pits.
At the end of the walkways stood a massive black pillar, four hundred meters in diameter, its height immeasurable. Countless pipes snaked toward it, like veins feeding a heart.
“The forge,” Yang Zhiming breathed. “The legendary dwarven forge. Hidden deep underground… No wonder they could create such perfect metal.”
This was a hidden world of metal, silent and still. The machines lay dormant, their energy spent. A dead city.
They crossed the walkway. Long Shiyu peered over the railing, and Shen Chaomu pulled him back.
“Don’t fall,” he warned.
“But I can fly,” Long Shiyu protested.
“Still, be careful.”
As they stepped onto another walkway, Shen Chaomu abruptly stopped. “Someone was here recently,” he said, his spiritual power probing the corridor.
A gruff voice boomed in response: My metal babies, back to work!
Gears whirred, their movements precise and rhythmic. Within seconds, the entire wall was a symphony of interlocking gears, driving the conveyor belts. The belts stuttered initially, then, as the gears gained momentum, moved with a smooth efficiency. Metal clunked into the forge, a red glow igniting within its depths. The forge shuddered, and a jet of steam erupted, a triumphant cry that signaled the awakening of the machine city.
Cranes groaned as they lifted massive loads, robotic arms whirred, and a symphony of mechanical sounds filled the air. Wind whipped through the chamber, powering turbines. Lightning crackled, and coal rumbled along the conveyor belts, feeding the hungry furnace. Heat vents hissed open, releasing waves of intense heat.
All this, initiated by the simple turning of a gear. A testament to the power and beauty of machinery.
“It’s…perfect,” Yang Zhiming breathed, his eyes wide with awe.
“Since there are people down here,” Shen Chaomu said, his gaze sweeping the space, “let’s go find them.”
“Should we call the others?” Long Shiyu asked.
“Not yet. They must have noticed our intrusion.”
“So you’re going rogue again?”
“Indeed.” Shen Chaomu ruffled his hair. “Smart dragon.”
They followed the walkway, the heat from the forge radiating outward. Reaching the elevator, Shen Chaomu selected the next level down.
The descent was long, the small window offering glimpses of the bustling machine city. Then, darkness enveloped them as they plunged deeper, the sounds of industry growing louder – the roar of flames, the hiss of steam, the clank of machinery, the rhythmic pulse of the forge.
The depth gauge ticked steadily downward: six hundred meters, eight hundred, one thousand… There was no sign of stopping. They were descending into the heart of the planet, the oppressive weight of the unknown pressing down on them.
This was different from the deep sea. The sea held a primal fear, the threat of being swallowed by its vastness. This was the heart of a lost civilization, its secrets buried deep within the earth.
The forge’s heat intensified as they descended. They were entering the core of a world the Alliance barely understood, a world of advanced technology and forgotten wonders.
Two minutes later, the elevator shuddered to a halt. The doors opened onto another corridor lined with rooms marked “Rest Area.” Inside, neat beds and tidy furnishings awaited.
“I thought dwarves were supposed to be messy,” Shen Chaomu remarked.
“Maybe this explains it.” Long Shiyu pointed to a sign on the wall.
The translated text read:
[Failure to maintain cleanliness will result in an 800 yuan deduction from your salary.]
[List of penalized personnel: 1009 total employees, 1011 violations.]
[Notice: As of September 11th, a new autonomous cleaning robot will be deployed.]
“I overestimated them,” Shen Chaomu said, frowning. “And how are there more violations than employees?”
The list of offenders was long, but the last two entries were the cleaners themselves, penalized for skipping work.
Shen Chaomu’s spiritual power detected an anomaly in a distant room, separated from the others by several security doors. Yang Zhiming easily bypassed the deactivated security measures.
“The two areas seem to be isolated,” Shen Chaomu observed.
He entered the room. A bowl of untouched instant noodles sat on a table, a fork resting beside it. The bed was rumpled, an open magazine discarded on the sheets. Shen Chaomu ushered Long Shiyu out.
“Why?” Long Shiyu protested.
“There are things you shouldn’t see,” Shen Chaomu replied. “Wait outside.”
“But I’m hundreds of years old—”
“Still not appropriate.” Shen Chaomu scanned the room, transmitting the data for analysis. Finding nothing else unusual, they returned to the elevator.
As they descended, the light rain’s residual magic swirled in Shen Chaomu’s mind, conjuring another flashback.
A grand hall, its dome adorned with intricate carvings of dragons. A feast, gold and diamonds glittering, the air filled with laughter and the clinking of glasses. Then, a shift in atmosphere, sneering faces and bared teeth directed at a lone challenger—a hero wielding a brilliant lamp.
The young man at the head of the table, his clothes a swirl of color, looked familiar. Long Shiyu.
He spotted Shen Chaomu, his eyes lighting up. He rushed through the crowd, a blur of motion, and launched himself into Shen Chaomu’s arms.
“Did you come to find me?” he asked, his Alliance Standard surprisingly fluent.
Shen Chaomu stared, his mind reeling. He hadn’t seen this boy, this dragon, since the wedding, yet his language skills had improved dramatically.
Shen Chaomu said: “No, I’m here to slaughter…”
His body was suspended in the air the next second.
Long Shiyu was so excited that he didn’t listen to what he was saying at all, he directly hugged him like a princess, and rushed out of the hall without leaving a single afterimage.
The bewildered dragons and the bewildered Shen Chaomu.
——Isn’t he here to slay dragons?
Shen Chaomu was startled awake from his memory.
What the hell is this?
He turned his head to look at Long Shiyu abruptly.
Long Shiyu: “?”
He secretly held the princess’s hand again: “Don’t be afraid, I will protect you.”
QwQ
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